Barcelona suffered an injury blow during their La Liga match against Las Palmas when Alejandro Balde was stretchered off the field after sustaining a concerning injury.
The Catalans made an excellent start to the 2024-25 league campaign, racking up seven wins in a row to take the lead in the La Liga standings before the first international break of the season.
However, Hansi Flick's side have experienced several injury setbacks in recent weeks, with the likes of Ferran Torres, Lamine Yamal and Ronald Araujo all spending time on the treatment table.
Consequently, Blaugrana have also seen a dip in form this month, and after losing 2-1 to Las Palmas on Saturday, they are now winless in their last three top-flight games.
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Balde suffers scary injury in Las Palmas defeat
During the defeat to Los Amarillos, Barca defender Alejandro Balde was carried off the field on a stretcher after suffering a scary injury 25 minutes into the match.
The left-back took a blow in a challenge with Sandro Ramirez, seemingly being struck in the throat by the winger's shoulder.
Balde was seen struggling to breathe and appeared to vomit blood on the field before he was taken off on a medical truck and replaced by Gerard Martin for the remainder of the match.
The 21-year-old sustained a season-ending injury in January this year but made a full recovery to play a key role under Flick this season.
The Spain international has been a regular feature for the Catalans this term, making 16 appearances in all competitions before Saturday's match.
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Initial update on Balde injury
While the scenes during Balde's exit understandably caused significant concern, a swift report from Mundo Deportivo at the end of the match suggested that there was good news on the player's condition.
The report revealed that the 21-year-old entered the dressing room on foot and that "the situation was immediately under control."
It is understood that the Spaniard suffered a laryngospasm, a condition where the vocal cords involuntarily contract, making it difficult to breathe or speak.
It is still unclear if Balde will have to serve time on the sidelines or if he will be able to feature for the side against Mallorca on Tuesday.
Barcelona remained on 34 points following Saturday's loss, meaning Real Madrid can cut the gap to the league leaders to one point if they beat Getafe on Sunday.
Devesh Jaganath
